Localization of basic fibroblast growth factor, a mitogen and angiogenic factor, in human brain tumors

Fibroblast growth factor (FGF) is a potent angiogenic factor and a mitogen for a variety of mesoderm- and neuroectoderm-derived cell types (e.g., fibroblasts, endothelial cells, astrocytes, oligodendrocytes). After application of a monospecific polyclonal antiserum, we localized basic FGF on frozen sections of 73 human brain tumors using immunohistochemistry. FGF was present in a variable number of tumor cells (16/16 astrocytomas, 5/5 ependymomas, 0/3 benign and 4/7 anaplastic oligodendrogliomas, 11/12 glioblastomas, 11/11 meningiomas, 6/6 neurilemmomas, 0/3 pituitary adenomas, 2/2 choroid plexus papillomas, 0/1 neurocytoma, 2/2 benign fibrous histiocytomas, 2/5 metastatic carcinomas). FGF was detected in vascular cells of 59 tumors and in fibroblasts of connective tissue stroma from all papillomas and metastases. These results tend to indicate FGF involvement in the malignant progression of gliomas due to an autocrine or paracrine action. Histopathological aspects of malignant gliomas (e.g., pseudopalisading or pathological vessels) could be related to FGF activity.